The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of the Compositae family. The new variety, a member of the species Osteospermum fruticosum (L.) Norl., named xe2x80x98Kakegawa AU3xe2x80x99. This species is one of several species of Osteospermum that are commonly referred to as Cape Daisy.
The new variety originated as a first generation hybrid seedling following four generations of random intercrossing between population selections. All crosses were done at the Sakata Seed Corporation, Chogo Research Station in Chogo Prefecture, Japan. The objective of this breeding program was to develop plants with suitable form for pot culture that also possessed large flowers that would stay open into the evening hours. The flowers of Osteospermum fruticosum (L.) Norl. usually close under low light conditions, such as in the evening.
The original parent lines for the new variety were Osteospermum fruticosum (L.) Norl breeding lines 697 and 137, female and male respectively. These two lines were cross pollinated in 1991. From this hybridization several first generation seedlings were obtained and grown to mature, flowering plants. In 1992 six of these plant lines were selected due to their flowers staying open at low light levels. The six lines were intercrossed and the progeny grown to flowering, where selection and intercrossing of the selected lines was repeated. Flower size, ability to stay open in the evening and deep purple petal color was used as selection criteria. This procedure was continued until progeny from the 1995 crosses were ready to be evaluated. In April, 1996, one line was selected as xe2x80x98Kakegawa AU3xe2x80x99. Further evaluation by the inventor during 1996 and 1997 demonstrated that the new variety""s characteristics were firmly fixed and stable. Since this time the new variety has been trialed and vegetatively propagated at the Sakata Seed Corporation facility in Salinas, Calif. The new variety has been stable and fixed in this environment also.
The new variety has been observed under greenhouse and outdoor conditions in California and Japan. The phenotype of the new plant may vary somewhat with variations in temperature, day length, light intensity or soil media conditions. The observations noted below have been made using multiple 8 month old plants grown in Salinas, Calif. under the following conditions. Shoot tips were rooted in soil plug trays in August. After developing a root ball the plants were transplanted into six-inch diameter pots and grown outdoors through the winter to provide vernalization for flowering. In December, buds were pinched off to promote branching. Winter night temperatures averaged 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. By May of the following year the plants were in full bloom. Average summer daytime temperatures in Salinas range from 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the month and the amount of coastal marine layer cloud cover.